Entries in Herman Cain
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Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TAMPA, Fla.) -- One-time GOP primary front-runner Herman Cain, who exited the race amid spiraling allegations of sexual infidelity, hears no call from the campaign trail after his failure to make it all the way to this week's Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., he said Monday.

"No, I don't [miss campaigning,]" Cain, a conservative radio host and former pizza-chain CEO who momentarily led the pack of GOP candidates before dropping out in December, told Terry Moran of Nightline.

"It's always bittersweet when you compete in anything, but I said from the very beginning, whoever gets the nomination, I am going to support them fully," Cain said on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Cain, who briefly tapped into a party then frustrated with Mitt Romney, was not invited to speak at the convention, a snub he says doesn't offend him.

"I'm not going to be participating with the formal convention program, but it's not about me," he told Moran. "It's about giving exposure to some young stars who are running for office."

Cain's road to endorsing Romney, set to be nominated later this week, was a long one. After dropping out, Cain, 66, initially endorsed "the American people," before throwing his support more directly to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. It was not until May that Cain endorsed Romney.

"I said some tough things about [Romney] and I challenged him on his 59-point economic plan; he's now reduced the number of points in his economic plan so he's listening," Cain said of Romney, morphing an attack line he once used on the stump.

"He didn't get to nine yet, but he's moving in the right direction," the former Godfather's Pizza CEO quipped.

Cain's support skyrocketed when he introduced the catchy "9-9-9" tax plan that would have replaced most taxes with a nine-percent flat tax on business transactions, income and sales.

Cain praised Romney's pick of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. "I think it has injected some enthusiasm," he said of the decision.

Cain, the only black GOP candidate, said that despite the lack of black delegates on the convention floor, there were plenty of black conservatives in the Republican Party.

"I happen to believe that the party has more traction with black voters than meets the eye," he said.

"It takes a lot of time and personal commitment to try and become a delegate with either the Republican Party or the Democrat Party. It takes a lot of time and a lot of resources. And so as a result, you don't see as many black Americans," he said.

Cain said it was the Democrats, not the Republicans, who had belittled the concerns of black Americans and were playing into the country's basest fears about race.

"The Democrats are the ones that are making white people feel anxious about the race card in America. The Democrats are desperate. And when they're desperate, they go back to their old playbook. Class warfare. The race card," Cain told Moran.

Cain, who was accused at the time of his campaign of running just to sell books and promote his radio show, said he is still angry about the allegations of infidelity and impropriety leveled at him.

"I'm still a little angry about it. I'll be perfectly honest with you; I am human," he said, adding that he believed the attacks were coordinated and politically motivated.

"It's just those that were behind it were very good at covering up their fingerprints, such that it's difficult to determine exactly," he said. "But it was absolutely politically motivated."

File photo. Steve Pope/Getty Images(TAMPA, Fla.) — At River Church Tampa, a few miles east of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention, a different type of unifying event was taking place.

The Unity Rally 2012, hosted by the TeaParty.net, Job Creator Solutions, and the Western Representation PAC, took place on Sunday night before the official (and now postponed) start of the Republican Party’s convention. While the large, nondenominational church was packed with enthusiastic supporters of the tea party movement and the defeat of President Obama, fervor for presumptive nominee Mitt Romney was not so palpable.

“Well, you’ve got to vote, it’s not a matter of excited, it’s a matter of necessity. …We’ve got to get this man out of office,” said Jerry Edwards, a member of Golden Isles tea party in Georgia.

“I like Ryan,” one attendee told ABC News when asked how she felt about the Republican ticket.

Tea party leaders, including Rep. Michele Bachmann and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, and radio personality Neal Boortz spoke at the rally. The Romney campaign sent a surrogate in the form of Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz. Chaffetz received a strong welcome when he came on stage, but when he was announced as a Romney rep applause died down. Chaffetz spoke about Romney’s success in turning around the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and spoke about the former governor’s success in curbing spending in Massachusetts.

Chaffetz then talked about the importance of defeating Barack Obama.

“Listen, we have an opportunity before us. … I have spent hours campaigning for Mitt, not only because I think he’s the right guy for right now, but also because I want to defeat Barack Obama,” Chaffetz told the audience.

Although several of the speakers, such as Bachmann and Chaffetz, were also in town for the GOP convention, the same was not necessarily true for many of the others.

“We’re here for this event, we’re heading back early tomorrow morning,” Sam Burgiuerex, a tea party supporter from New Orleans said.

The winds of Isaac weren’t the reason for Burgiuerex’s scheduling.

“We’re principally here for support of this movement, the tea party movement, which is about fiscal responsibility, about principles, about honoring our government.”

Edwards, who was in town with a group of about 56 representatives, said his Golden Isles group was also planning to leave after the rally, but not because of Isaac.

“We’re from Georgia. We’ve had plenty of hurricanes where we came from. …I’m 78 years old. I’ve never run from a hurricane yet,” Edwards said.

Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Less than two months ago, Herman Cain, who was out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, stood on a stage in West Palm Beach, just three days before the Florida primary, and told the crowd, “I hereby officially and enthusiastically endorse Newt Gingrich for the president of the Unites States.” Gingrich had just come off a sweeping win in South Carolina, had the fundraising dollars pouring in and had a financial safety net in billionaire donor Sheldon Adelson.

But on Monday, Cain walked back his endorsement of Gingrich, saying, “With all due respect, let’s get on with this, OK?”

“I even endorsed Newt Gingrich at one point because I thought that he had a shot. Well, not now. He doesn’t have a shot,” Cain said to Washington radio station WMAL.

A former Cain staffer told ABC News that Cain’s call for Gingrich to bow out isn’t surprising.

“He likes to go with his gut. Mr. Cain walked up to line of joining the establishment without crossing it,” the former Cain staffer said.

Cain refused to comment to ABC News Monday over that morning’s comments about Gingrich, but Gingrich campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond said the party is trying is lock down the nomination.

“The angle right now is for the party to get to a nominee as fast as possible,” Hammond said. “It’s up to Herman Cain whether or not he’s put in his application with the establishment.”

Cain wasn’t the only Republican candidate to suspend his campaign and endorse the “not-Romney” candidate. Rick Perry also endorsed Gingrich when he left the race.

A spokesman for Perry, Catherine Frazier, told ABC News that he will stay loyal to Gingrich but will support the eventual nominee.

“Gov. Perry puts a premium on loyalty and he’ll back Gingrich as long as he’s in the race,” Frazier said.

More trouble came for Gingrich a couple of weeks ago, when Adelson said Gingrich was “at the end of his line.” Monday reports surfaced that Adelson donated $5 million to a super PAC supporting House Republicans. It is a clear sign his money is no longer filtering to the Gingrich campaign, which is expected to post nearly $4.5 million in debt.

Allison Shelley/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Hundreds of Tea Party activists rallied in Washington on Saturday, demonstrating just days before the Supreme Court hears arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. With the outline of the U.S. Capitol behind them, conservative organizers urged the judiciary to overturn the legislation and called for the defeat of President Obama in the November election.

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain was the keynote speaker at the event. Standing in a light rain, Cain told supporters he may not have survived his battle with cancer had he sought treatment under the new law.

“That’s what this is about,” Cain said. “The freedom to choose our own doctors. The freedom to choose our own health insurance plan.”

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli told the crowd the upcoming elections were their chance to restore the Constitution. His state is one of 26 challenging the Affordable Care Act through lawsuits in the high court.

“[President Obama] and this administration represent the greatest set of lawbreakers to ever run the federal government in our lifetimes,” Cuccinelli said. “The rule of law itself is at stake.”

Republican congressmen Louie Gohmert and Dan Benishek were also in attendance.

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act maintain it is unconstitutional for the federal government to force Americans into the marketplace to buy a product: in this case health insurance. Derisively labeling the act “Obamacare,” its critics also rail against perceived costs of the legislation for businesses or taxpayers, and what they say will be a downturn in quality of care.

Signed by President Obama two years ago, the law would not take full effect until 2014 if left unchallenged.

On Monday, the Supreme Court will begin three days of arguments over the fate of the law. As no cameras are allowed in the courtroom, people eager to see the deliberations firsthand have been camping outside the judiciary since Friday for their place in line.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) -- After a day of campaigning in Oklahoma, former presidential candidate Herman Cain stopped by Newt Gingrich’s last rally of the day in Chattanooga to excite voters to go to the polls Tuesday.

In an interview with ABC News, Cain said Gingrich would do better than expected on the day in which Gingrich has been hinging his campaign for the last month.

“A Super Tuesday prediction is that first, Speaker Newt Gingrich is going to do better in some of the states other than Georgia than most people believe,” Cain said.

Cain told ABC News he expected a good day for Gingrich in his home state of Georgia, and said the only question was by how much Gingrich would carry the state.

“I believe, based on the latest information and the intensity and excitement that we felt from the people, that he will carry Georgia,” Cain said. “But I happen to believe he’s going to do much better in Tennessee and much better in states like Oklahoma than anticipated.”

Cain said one state where he was unsure of the outcome was Ohio.

“Ohio is very unpredictable,” he said. “I can’t even begin to make a prediction about Ohio. It’s really, really up in the air.”

When Cain arrived at the rally Monday night, Gingrich had already started speaking. Cain walked in and told the crowd he thought he would crash the party. Gingrich stopped his speech and introduced an energetic Cain to the crowd. Cain took the opportunity to hit Mitt Romney over comments suggesting Gingrich was pandering to voters with his promise of low gas prices.

“Do you know what Mitt Romney said about the 2-5-0, the $2.50 a gallon gasoline program? That Newt was pandering to the American people. Pandering! I got news for you, that’s not pandering,” Cain said. “That’s showing true leadership.”

Cain said that as an unconventional candidate, he didn’t have to endorse anyone, but chose Gingrich.

Cain told ABC News he believes Tuesday will be a “good day” for Gingrich.

“I think when all is said and done, the total number of delegates that Newt will walk away with on Super Tuesday is going to be more than just respectable,” Cain said.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- It's a match made in tax reform heaven. The diehard promoter of tax code simplicity has teamed up with the Main Street icon of small-business tax plans to promote what is perhaps the most well-known tax reform plan in history: 9-9-9.

Herman Cain announced Tuesday that he's partnered with Joe Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber" of 2008 election campaign fame, who is now running for the U.S. House in Ohio, to continue the fight for a tax code based on a 9-percent personal income tax, 9-percent corporate income tax and a 9-percent national sales tax.

"Joe the Plumber agrees that 'blowing up' the current federal tax code is paramount to the success of this nation," Cain said in a statement. "And we have seen firsthand he's not afraid to tell the president so."

Wurzelbacher reached national notoriety during the 2008 general election for asking then-candidate Obama during a campaign sweep through Ohio whether he would have to pay more taxes if he bought a plumbing business that made $250,000 to $280,000 a year.

Obama's general election rival John McCain seized the moment and often cited "Joe the Plumber" as an everyday American who would be adversely affected by his opponent's tax plan, even though analysts offered varying opinions as to whether Wurzelbacher would have received a tax increase or a tax cut under Obama's plan.

Four years and a heavy dose of frustration with elected officials later, Wurzelbacher is taking matters into his own hands and pledging to promote Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan if elected to Congress.

Wurzelbacher is hopping on the Cain Train, or rather the "Cain Revolution" bus, for a three-event swing through Ohio this week. The two will appear together at two rallies and a Lincoln Day dinner.

"Joe is an unconventional candidate, just like I was," Cain said. "He shows a true workingman's appreciation for what it is to be a good steward of the hard-earned money the government takes from us in the form of taxes."

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The “9-9-9" plan isn’t dead. In fact, it may just get a second life with Newt Gingrich.

Herman Cain, the former pizza magnate and presidential candidate behind the catchphrase/tax plan, told ABC News in an interview Monday that Gingrich is seriously considering adopting the 9-9-9 platform as his own.

“9-9-9 will be a major consideration,” Cain said. “That is why he asked me to co-chair his jobs, work, and tax advisory council.”

The proposal calls for personal income tax, corporate income tax and a national sales tax to each be set at 9 percent.

Gingrich confirmed to ABC News in an interview that he promised to consider the plan, though he said he’s unlikely to take it on fully. The candidate pointed out that he already has a fairly comprehensive tax plan of his own.

Cain has endorsed Gingrich, and the former candidate said the ex-speaker’s pledge to “take it at serious consideration” was a factor in his decision. Gingrich didn’t promise to adopt it, Cain said.

In an interview with ABC News’ Nightline, Cain said Gingrich has called him “several times” in the past few weeks, and he called Gingrich “the only candidate with a commitment for fundamental reform of our tax system.”

Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Amidst post-debate analysis and preparation for the release of Mitt Romney’s tax returns, Stephen Colbert tweeted about the end of his exploratory committee for President of the United States of South Carolina.

Colbert announced his plans to form an exploratory committee to look into a run in South Carolina earlier this month, in a stunt meant to draw attention to the problems of independent expenditure committees, commonly referred to as super PACs, in political contests. In order to make his “exploration” legal, Colbert announced he would be handing over control of his super PAC, “Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow,” to fellow late-night Comedy Central star Jon Stewart.

Colbert found a clever way around the ballot barrier he faced in South Carolina -- a state that does not allow write-ins in its presidential primary -- and teamed up with former GOP candidate Herman Cain, whose name still was on the ballot, despite his dropping out of the race. The two appeared together at Colbert’s “Rock Me Like A Herman Cain: The South Cain-olina Primary Rally” at the College of Charleston, in Charleston, S.C., the day before the primary.

Cain received roughly 1 percent of the vote in South Carolina’s Jan. 21 primary -- about 6,324 votes.﻿

Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images(COLUMBIA, S.C.) -- It seems South Carolinans may have a “hunger” for comedian Stephen Colbert’s presidential bid. Either that or the Cain Train is gaining some steam.

In Saturday’s primary, roughly 6,324 South Carolina voters -- about 1 percent -- cast their ballot for former presidential candidate Herman Cain, the man Colbert dubbed his surrogate in the Palmetto State primary after the comedian failed to get his own name on the ballot.

That’s more than 30 times the number of votes Cain got in the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary combined and more than double the votes former GOP candidate Rick Perry, who dropped out of the race last Thursday, received.

“Because Herman Cain and I are so similar, I think that if this Saturday Herman Cain were to get a significant number of votes that would be a sign that voters are hungry, hungry for a Stephen Colbert campaign,” Colbert said on his Comedy Central show last Monday night. “Anybody who shares my values can show it by voting for Herman Cain.”

Cain, for his part, seems to have no problem acting as the stand-in for Colbert’s satirical campaign.

“American needs to lighten up,” Cain said last Friday in a speech at Colbert’s “The Rock Me Like a Herman Cain: South Cain-olina Primary Rally” at the College of Charleston.

Colbert’s flirtation with launching a presidential campaign has served to highlight new campaign finance laws -- made possible by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision -- that allow super PACs to raise unlimited amounts of money from undisclosed donors and spend that money to support or oppose political candidates.

“Tomorrow, Jan. 21, the two-year anniversary of Citizens United, you can thank the Supreme Court by going into the voting booth and voting for Herman Cain. Because, sadly, it is still illegal to vote with just pure cash,” Colbert said at Friday’s rally.

Shortly before announcing his intention to explore a possible White House bid, Colbert transferred his super PAC, “Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow” to fellow comedian Jon Stewart. The PAC spent $7,600 to run four ads in South Carolina over the past week.﻿

Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Herman Cain, the man who ended his GOP presidential bid with a speech quoting the cartoon Pokémon, has re-fueled his banner-wrapped bus to help a different television character, comedian Stephen Colbert, win the support of South Carolina primary voters.

Colbert, who announced his intention to explore a presidential bid in South Carolina last week, is hosting “The Rock Me Like a Herman Cain: South Cain-olina Primary Rally” on Friday to declare that he and Cain “are the same man.”

Because Colbert is not on the South Carolina primary ballot, the Comedy Central comedian has called on Palmetto State voters to pick Cain, whose name still appears on the ballot, in Saturday’s primary as a way to determine if there is a “hunger for a Stephen Colbert campaign.”

“On Stephen Colbert’s endorsement of himself as Herman Cain, I find it very clever and humorous, as it should be,” Cain told Fox411. “Anyone who finds what Mr. Colbert is doing offensive, should simply lighten up.”

Cain added, “To be perfectly clear, I will not be assuming Stephen Colbert’s identity. We are very different when it comes to the color of our -- hair.”

According to a Marist poll released Thursday, South Carolinians have at least a few pangs of Colbert hunger. About 18 percent of likely GOP primary voters said they were at least “kinda somewhat likely” to vote for Colbert if he chose to run for president.

But just like the announced GOP candidates, Colbert’s support has a ceiling, albeit a much lower ceiling. More than half -- 56 percent -- of South Carolinians polled said they are not likely at all to cast their ballot for the comedian.

The poll was funded by the pro-Colbert Super PAC Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, which Colbert founded in June and turned over to fellow comedian Jon Stewart last week. The Super PAC has been the central theme of Colbert’s weeklong presidential posturing.﻿